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The Role of Jewish Women
Rabbi Brander
It is a mental footnote for those familiar with the Bible, most of us not knowing exactly what to make of it. I refer to the strange fact of Moshe’s kvad peh (speech impediment) – a seemingly trivial detail in the epic of Jewish redemption, yet one that Moshe constantly refers to in his dialogue with Hashem. Believing Jews dig details, [1] for they reflect great Divine care, but in light of the bigger picture one may justifiably wonder just where the wisdom lies in this curious impediment. In considering Moshe’s speech defect, let us raise six questions for your consideration; we will address the final pair (and allude to the first pair): 1. What was the precise nature of the flaw? 2. How did it develop? 3. Why did Moshe constantly reference it as being a fundamental challenge to his efficacy as a Jewish leader [2] – even after Hashem had assured him to the contrary? 4. Why did Moshe not pray for its removal? it?
5. Why did God create Moshe with 6. Why did God not heal it?
1. Famously, Ran, [3] in his drashos (#3) posits the anti-demagogue theory: a leader’s magnetism and oratorical prowess may blind his followers from evaluating his message’s essential content. Hashem created Moshe with a speech impediment to rebuff any potential claim that one man’s charisma charmed the Torah upon vulnerable masses. By de-emphasizing the messenger, the Torah’s Divinity is affirmed.[4] 2. Shelah references the famous mid-
Consider the implications of the midrash: Eighty years later, Moshe appears before that very Pharoah; a delicious irony emerges when Pharoah, who has heard that voice before, realizes that he was the redeemer’s adopted grandfather! It is Divine sarcasm at its exquisite best. Man plans and God laughs; every so often the Master of the Universe reminds us that we are k’chomer b’yad haYotzer, silly putty in the Divine kiln, and we better get with the program. 3. To Maharal, [6] Moshe was a lot neshama (soul) and a little guf (body). Speech belongs to the body and not the soul, even though humans alone are capable of reflective speech. Hence the Talmudic statement [7] that a baby’s entrance into This World is ushered in with a slap on the mouth, highlighting his newfound humanity. Moshe’s neshama, so refined and deep, was simply unable to articulate the depth of his machshava (thought). For Moshe, words profaned the thought. In other words, he couldn’t speak correctly because he was above speech, as it were.[8] 4. For me, Rabbi Itzele Volozhiner’s insight [9] carries the day. Moshe was unable to pronounce certain letters. Some versions have the letter dalet on the list and others have the letter pei. Either letter was critical to articulate the code phrase pakod pakadeti (I shall remember Bnei Yisrael)[10] that authenticated Moshe’s credentials.[11] It turns out, Rav Itzele says, that the code was verified precisely because of Moshe’s speech impediment and his subsequent miraculous transcendence of it in order to pronounce the code clearly. In other words, remarkably, it emerges that Moshe’s speech impediment was critical to make him the undisputed leader of the Jewish People. Strength, our Rabbis teach, is not about buffness (a word I learned from my students) – it is an internal thing. They employ the paradigm of kovesh es yitzro, one who overcomes his natural proclivities. Precious little of that battle is visible to the naked eye. Yet, the internal war that man wages within himself is one that requires enormous power to resist and parry rather than thrust and submit.
Moshe, transmitter of Torah, struggles with speech, the area most critical to be Rabbeinu. Amazingly, he is still considered our greatest teacher. Perhaps that stature is precisely the product of Moshe’s constant internal battle. One thing is clear: Moshe personifies a critical meta-lesson of Torah: Greatness is neither a birthright nor a default destiny. It is only to be found among those who dare to acknowledge their vulnerabilities and are willing to engage in the real work to overcome them. With strength and confidence to face our real challenges, Hashem allows us to tap into the greatness that lies within.
[1] Cf. Sanhedrin 99b. [2] Shemos 4:10, 6:12, 6:30. [3] Spain, 1320-1380. [4] Shelah (Prague, Tzfas, 1565-1630) questions this notion in light of the midrash that indicates that Moshe was healed davka at Mattan Torah (Yalkut Shimoni 3:172). [5] Shemos Rabba 1:26: Pharaoh’s daughter used to kiss and hug him, loved him as if he were her own son, and would not allow him out of the royal palace. …Pharaoh also used to kiss and hug him, and [Moshe] used to take the crown of Pharaoh and place it upon his own head, as he was destined to do when he became great. …The magicians of Egypt sat there and said: “We are afraid of him who is taking off thy crown and placing it upon his own head, lest he be the one of whom we prophesy that he will take away the kingdom from thee.” Some of them counseled to slay him and others to burn him, but Yisro was present among them and he said to them: “This boy has no sense. However, test him by lacing before him a gold vessel and a live coal; if he stretches forth his hand for the gold, then he has sense and you can slay him, but if he makes for the live coal, then he has no sense and there can be no sentence of death upon him.” So they brought these things before him, and he was about to reach forth for the gold when Gavriel came and thrust his hand aside so that it seized the coal, and he thrust his hand with the live coal into his mouth, so that his tongue was burnt, with the result that he became slow of speech and of tongue. [6] Prague, 1525-1609. [7] Nidda 31a. [8] Gevuros Hashem 28. [9] Peh Kadosh, p. 45 on Shemos 3:11: [10] Bereishis 50, Shemos 3:16. [11] Rashi 3:18., cf. Ramban ibid., who deals with the obvious question that anyone could have used the code. For a deeper understanding this whole topic, see our previous article on Va’eira: Probing the Code.
________________________ Rabbi Asher Brander is the Founder of the LINK Kollel and Shul, located on 1453 S. Robertson Blvd and is a Rebbe at the wonderful Bnos Devorah Girls High School.
By Sharon Aharonoff Freshman, VTHS Girls Division
Hashem created woman from man. Therefore, you’d think a woman’s role in life would be just as important as a man’s. But if you were to turn back the clock you would see that ages and ages ago we lived in a world where women didn’t have rights or freedom of choice. They had to cook, clean, take care of the children, and basically follow their husband’s rules. When a woman got married her parents would pay her husband a dowry to take her, as if giving him their daughter wasn’t enough! In the present day, women have as many rights and opportunities as men and there are many powerful women in the world. What happened? Women stood up for themselves! They demonstrated that women can do anything men can do. Although, some women have taken this “equality” to the extreme of dressing and acting like men, which is not necessary. The role of non-Jewish women has changed many times throughout history, although the basic role of Jewish women remains constant. We have gotten more rights, but our basic role is forever the same. What is the fundamental role of a Jewish woman? We can see the answer by looking back in history and observing our ancestor Sarah Emanu’s behavior. Just like Sarah took care of Yitzchak and protected him from the bad influences of Yishmael, Jewish women continue to take great care of their children and protect them from harm. Just like Sara made challah and lit candles, so do Jewish women now. Just like Sarah supported Avraham through his ten tests, Jewish women still stand behind their husbands during their challenges. Yes, a Jewish woman’s role is as important as a man’s, but we do not have to act like a man to be “important” since the role of a Jewish woman is VERY important. Behind every great man there is an even greater woman. A Jewish woman’s role is like the foundation of a building, and the greater the foundation, the greater the building. If women preferred to be the buildings, then there would be no foundation. And without a foundation there would be no building. A Jewish woman is the foundation for her family and the greater the woman, the greater the family.
DECEMBER 26, 2013
rash[5] (cited by Rabbeinu Bechaye) that baby Moshe was suspected by Pharoah of being the Jews’ potential savior. After being put to the famous coals/crown test, Moshe who initially opts for Pharoah’s crown, is steered by Gavriel to the coals – creating his kvad peh (but saving his life by assuaging Pharoah’s fears).
THE JEWISH HOME
Va’eira: Of Speech and Strength